Press for the manufacture of fiberboards



PRESS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF FIBER BOARDS Filed July 25, 1943 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 112 v JL Z01 T Of Hi ZZOJZZ Fb. 4, 1947. HILLBQM 2,415,244

PRESS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF FIBER BOARDS Filed July 23, 1943 4 Sheets-Sheet .2

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fi-Liy Feb. 4, 1947. T. o. HIILLBOM PRESS FOR THE MANUFACTURE ,OF FIBER BOARDS 4 Sheets$heet 3 Filed July 25, 1943 y M an O 0 L u 3 9 u lzaz aiar- 0.1ZOZ0m Feb. 4, 1947. 1 o. HILLBOM PRESS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF FIBER BOARDS Filed July 25, 1943 llllr.

aZzz/uzz/iol Patented Feb. 4, 1947 OFFICE- PRESS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF FIBERBOARDS Tor ove Hillbom, Karlshall, Lulea, Sweden Application The present invention refers to such presses for the. .manufacture of boards, particularly fiber boards; briquets or other moulded bodies from a pulp suspended in liquid, which are provided with means in the form of a suction box or the like for the dehydration of the fiber board in the press proper. The object of theinvention is to provide foreffectivedehydration of the fiber board, parti ular in the manufacture of comparatively thick boards. It is known for this purpose to arrange a suction box not only in the bottom of the me s-mould; but also in the press-plate proper. The constructions of press-plates with a, suction box as hitherto known have the disadvantage, however, thatthe water which is sucked in cannotbe removed completely from the press-plate by the suction ofair, the consequence of this being that any residue of water remaining in the press-plate is emptied over the ready pressed fiber board when the press-plate is raised, whereby the ready pressed product may be damaged. The present invention aims at obviating. this drawback, and principally consists in that the water is sucked out from the press-plate by means of a large number of suction pipes connected to a suction conduit and opening near at the perforated bottom plate of the suction box, said pipes being distributed over the surface of the bottom plate. Hereby the suction power will have an opportunity to act over the whole surface of the bottom plate, so that every residue of water is removed. Said suction pipes are preferably connected to a vacuum chamber arranged in the upper portion of the suction box and separated by a partition from a chamber adapted toreceive the water pressed out from the fiber board, the latter chamber being arranged immediately inside the perforated bottom plate. This arrangement primarily aims at reducing the length of the vertical pipe portions in which the liquid may be retained by adhesion, and thus at preventing any liquid particles remaining in the pipes upon the ceasing of the sucking effect and at the raising of the presseplate-from flowing down onto and damagingthe ready pressed prod.- uct. In addition, said arrangement provides for a constructive simplification of; the connection of the pipes to the "suction box, while good facilities are obtained for the cleaning of the interior of the suction box. v

The invention will be described more closely with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate .a form of embodiment of a press constructed in accordance: with the invention. Figure l *israyertical view ofthe Bpress. Figure 2 is another vertical view partlysectioned on a July 23, 1943, Serial No. 495,945

In Sweden July 8,1942

2 Claims. (01. 92-451) plane perpendicular to the projection plane in Figure 1. Figure 3 is a horizontal section on line III-III in Figure 1. Figure 4 shows a vertical section through the press-plate, and Figure 5 shows a vertical section in a plane perpendicular thereto-through the one half of the press-plate. Figure 6 shows the one half of the press-plate viewedfrom above and partly sectioned on line Iv IV in Figure 4;

The press is provided with a moulding box I consisting of four walls, said box resting by means ofbrackets 2, 3 on the ends of plungers 4, 5, which are vertically movable in cylinders B, I and arranged to be vertically adjusted by means of hydraulic power. The driving medium is supplied to thecylinders 6, 1 through pipes 8, 9. In its lowermost position the moulding box I rests on a bottom I0 formed as a suction box, said bottom being carried by girders ll restin on a base l2.

Th suction box consists of a grid composed of vertical rods or laminae I3, said grid bein coverd bye; sheet-metal plate I4. The interiorof thesucti on box is connected through a pipe I5 to a suction conduit provided with a hydraulically controlled valve 1'61 The laminae are at their lower edges provided with recesses l1 permitting theescape of the water to the conduit l5,

Arranged within the moulding box I is a pressplate 18 fitting tightly therein, said plate being adjustable in a vertical direction by means of a hydraulic driving means consisting of a cylinder l9 and a piston 20- movable therein, said piston being rigidly connected to the press-plate by means of a piston rod 2|. The cylinder i9 is carried by girders 22 which, in turn, are rigidly connected with girders 23 extendin at right angles thereto, the girders 23 being secured by means of nuts 24 to the upper ends of four posts 25 rigidly arrangedin the base I2. The posts 25 form at the same time guides for the moulding box I, which is for this purpose provided with guide sleeves 26 displaceable along the posts. In the position shown in Figures 1 and 2, the press-plate I 8 takes its uppermost position. The movement of the press-plate in a vertical direction is limited downwardly by a nut 28 on the end of a rod 29 rigidly connected with the piston 20, said nut 28 being adjustable by means of a'hand-wheelfl. The nut is thus causedt'o bear on the upper end of he cylinder I9; The nut 28 maybe adjusted with the aid of'a scale, sothat accurate stop positions areobtained corresponding to the desired thickness of the fiber board.

a The press-plate ['8 is, like the bottom Ill, formed into a suction box to suck off water from the uptrolled valve 34. The pipes 36, 3|, 32 form a pipe system rigidly arranged on the press-plate, said pipe system partaking in the movement'of the press-plateand the-pipe 32 being telescopically displaceable within the pipe 33 which, in turn, is

rigidly arranged and carried by the posts 25 by means of a bracket 46, Figure 2. The pipe 32 is connected tightly to the pipe 33 through a packing-box 49. Furthermore, the lower space of the press-plate communicates with the external atmosphere through two pipes 35 rigidly arranged at the plate. Inserted into the upper end of these pipes are Valves 36 to cut off the air supply;

The construction of the press-plate will be best seen from Figures 4-6, which illustrate the pressplate to a larger scale, The press-plate comprises two superimposed chambers 31, 38, which are separated from each other in an air-tight fashion by means of a horizontal partition 39. Arranged on'the lower, side of this partition is a. supporting grid consisting of two series of rods 40, 4| extending at right angles to each other, the upper rods 40 being welded to the partition 39 and the lower rods being-secured t the rods 40. The lower side of the press-plate is constituted by a perforated bottom 43 secured in the lower edge of the vertical Walls 42, said bottom plate bearing on the inside against the edges of the rods 4|. To make it possible through the pipes 45 to suck out the water which is pressed or sucked in through the bottom plate 43, the rods 4| are provided witlr'edge recesses 44. The removalof the pressed-in or sucked-in water is effected with the aid; of a'number of vertical pipes extending through the partition 39, said pipes bearing with their lower bevelled ends on the perforated bottom plate 43 and'opening with their upper ends into the upper portion of the upper chamber 38 which thus forms a water-seal. V,

. 1 On the upper side, the press-plate is closed by means of a cover 46 which is screwed fast toa frame 41 arranged on the inside of the walls 42, said frarnehaving the partition 39 welded thereto. The air supply pipes 35 secured in the cover 4 6.are fitted with their ends into apertures in;the partition 39 and open into the lower chamber 31. The suction pipes 30, which are likewise inserted onto the'c'over 45, open into the upper chamber 33 at some distance from the partition 39. The piston rod 2| is secured with its lower end to the partition 39. I

The fiber suspension is supplied to the moulding box I from a doling-out container 50 through a hydraulically controlled valve and two pipes 52, 53 telescopically displaceable within one another, the pipe '53 being connected to a slit-like opening 54 in one wall of the moulding box.

. To facilitate the removal of the ready pressed fiber board, the press is provided with a. convey- I ing means consisting of a belt 51 from wire cloth running about two rollers 55, 56, the upper side of said belt or wire being arranged to run between the perforated plate I4 in the suction box I0 and the lower edges of the vertical walls of the moulding box The conveying belt is arranged to be driven by a motor 58 ,by means of a beltigearing 59 coupledto the roller 56, Arranged beside the roller 56 is a take-up table 60, the. upper side of which consists of a number of rollers fii.

Whilst the press is in the position shown in Figures 1 and 2, a quantity of fiber suspension corresponding to the desired thickness of the fiber board is supplied from the doling-out container 50. The valve 5| having been closed, the suction box If! is brought under vacuum, the major portion of the water of the fiber suspension then escaping through the conduit l5. After that, thepress-plate I8 is driven downwardly, and the interior of the suction box is brought into ,cOmmunication with the suction conduit by the openingof the valve 34. The water penetrating into the lower chamber 31 through the perforated bottom of the press-plate is then sucked up through the pipes 45 and emptied into the upper chamber 38. When the level of the liquid reaches the mouth of the suction pipes 30, the water is caused to escape through these pipes.

The pressing operation and the dehydration having been carried so far that only a small quantity of water enters the press-plate, the air stream flowing through the pipes 45 will entrain water particles from the upper side of the per forated bottom 43, so that the lower chamber 31 will become entirely relieved of water at the termination of the pressing operation. This will prevent remaining residues of water from falling down on theupper side of the ready pressed fiber board when the press-plate is raised. At the same time a rapid and effective dehydration of the fiber board will be obtained'thereby. On account of the double-sided dehydration, the water contents of the board will be about the same in layers on different levels of the board, which is of importance in preventing deformation of the board in the subsequent drying, particularly in the manufacture of highly porous the pressing pressure is small. v

After the pressing of the fiber board has been finished and the last residues of water have been removed from the press-plate, the valve 34 is cut whereupon the lower suction box'is, disconnected from" the suctionconduit by means of the valve l6. The fiber boardis, now conveyed'with the aid of the wire '5'! to the take-up table 50 in order then to be conveyed further to a drying plant in which the remaining quantity of water is removed by evaporation. I v

By the use of .hydrauliccontrol the cycle-of operation of the press may be rendered entirely automatic, in that the valves may be controlled in accordance with a predetermined scheme by means of a suitable guiding means, the valves being then actuated hydraulically with the aid of hydraulic shifting members 62, Figures 1 and 2; Similar shifting members are obviously provided for the control ofthe moving parts of the pressxi i' I claim: f

1..In. a-press for the manufacture of boards; especially fiber boards, briquets and other moulded bodies from pulp suspended in a liquid; the combination of a moulding box, an uppermovable pressplat'e arranged in=the mouldlngbox' and provided with a perforated bottom," a' suction box for the dehydration of the fiberboard formed in the moulding box, a plurality of the narrow-suction pipes opening closely to-the per-' forated bottom of the press plate and uniformly distributed over the surface thereof, a horizontalpartition in the suction box-dividing 'the .:suc'- tion. box; into, a lower water: chamber adapted to boards, when receive water entering through the perforated bottom of the press plate and into an upper vacuum chamber, said narrow suction pipes passing through the partition and opening into the vacuum chamber above the partition and thus collect- 5 ing at the bottom of the vacuum chamber the water penetrating into the water chamber and sucked up through the suction pipes, a suction pipe system cooperating with said narrow suction pipeswhich system is rigidly arranged on 10 the upper movable press plate and comprises conduits opening at a level below the upper ends of said narrow suction pipes.

2. In a press as claimed in claim 1 pipes connecting the water chamber with the external atmosphere and provided with valves adapted to out off the air supply to the water chamber.

TOR OVE HILLBOM.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 513,017 Howard J an, 16, 1894 971,936 Sutherland et a1 Oct. 4, 1910 1,536,163 Sutherland May 5, 1925 1,690,152 Ziska Nov. 6, 1928 2,118,491 Chuse May 24, 1938 2,338,777 Millspaugh Jan. 11, 1944 828,408 Kasson Aug. 14, 1906 2,348,340 Goodwiliie et a1 May 9, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 508,964 British July 7, 1939 

